Bee species number in the thousands, but nearly all of their
ranks are suffering from mites, and mysterious illness know as Colony Collapse
Disorder. Vermont's wild and
cultivated bees are fairing better than bees in other regions, but they aren't
immune to these afflictions, and the damage to the bees can extend to
agriculture and the rest of the ecosystem. Beekeeper Bill Mares is author of
"Bees Besieged". Rowan
Jacobsen is author of the new book, "Fruitless Fall". They spoke with VPR's Jane Lindholm about the
health of Vermont's bees.